A GLIMPSE INTO THE MOST HAUNTED CASTLE IN ENGLAND: BERRY POMEROY CASTLE

I love a good ghost story. Don’t you? Well, when I heard that Berry Pomeroy Castle is rumoured to be the most haunted castle in England, I just knew that I had to pay a visit to its ruined walls! Even more so after I’d seen a couple of YouTube documentaries on the Castle with my Mum late one evening (and then failed to sleep well afterward)!

Situated on Dartmoor, it sits in the very heart of a region that is no stranger to ghost sightings and paranormal activity. From the devil’s supposed visit to Brentor to the mysterious castle that sits in the heart of Lydford Village, there’s no shortage of folklore in the area!

With rumours of ghosts aplenty- yes, you did just read ghosts in the plural- the ruins of this former medieval mansion lie about 10 minutes by car from the fun and quirky and alternative town of Totnes. From evil children to friendly ladies, there’s no telling who or what you may encounter on even the briefest of visits!

It was a cold, wet and gloomy day when I arrived. No ‘horror story’ beginning intended- the weather really was pretty bad! But was the stormy sky really a sign of things to come? Was it foretelling what may well have been a spooky experience?

History of Berry Pomeroy

To put things in context for you, I’ll share a little bit of ‘castle’ backstory! Berry Pomeroy Castle sits in the middle of, well, nowhere. So maybe that’s where all these ‘most haunted Castle in England’ stories started.

Since the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, people have settled on the land at Berry Pomeroy and its surrounding countryside. The area is rich in history and full of ruins.

Berry Pomeroy Castle (the ruins that we see today) was started in around 1560 by the Pomeroy family. Although the castle had soldiers and many fortifications, its position at the top of a steep hill meant that it was never likely to be attacked. From 1600 onward, ambitious extensions to the property were started. The family wanted the Castle to end up as the largest and best stately family home in Devon. Like I said: it was an ambitious project!

The extensive building works were never completed and Berry Pomeroy was completely abandoned by 1700. It was too far from the surrounding towns, too remote to be of any use to anyone. Instead, it has long been the site of teenage initiations: who can stand being at the Castle the longest?

Today, Berry Pomeroy Castle is owned and managed by English Heritage. You can visit and take the chilling audio tour that leads you through the ghostly sightings.

The ghosts of the most haunted castle in England!

The White Lady

I’m not sure why female ghosts always end up being described by the colour of their dress but there we go! The white lady is meant to be the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy. The myth tells that her sister Eleanor was a jealous and mean woman. When the man who Eleanor went for her sister, Margaret, Eleanor locked Margaret in the dungeon. There, Margaret tragically perished.

It’s said that unfortunate witnesses can often see her rising out of the dungeon (which is a really damp and somewhat creepy space) and wandering the ramparts. People who claim to have seen her say that she comes accompanied by feelings of depression, uneasiness, and sadness.

The Blue Lady

The story, dating back as far as the 18th century, tells of a lady dressed in blue. She is meant to be a particularly mean and spiteful ghost. Even evil. She is meant to be the daughter of one of the Norman Knights who inhabited the previous castle on the land where Berry Pomeroy now sits.

The story tells that she was forced into an incestuous relationship with her father, resulting in a child. Her father was so angry that he strangled the child. In her grief, she died. She is now said to haunt the castle, wandering the empty rooms and luring unsuspecting men to their deaths.

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Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, Paris, pizza, and history, though not necessarily in that order. A fan of all things France related, she runs solosophie.com when she's not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming her weight in sweet food. Currently based in Paris after studies in London, she's spent most of her life living in the beautiful Devonian countryside in South West England!

27 Comments

I don’t like exploring haunted places on my trips or even cemeteries or ghost tours as I get scared! The architecture of the castle itself looks scary to me but thanks for sharing the interesting stories behind the castle!

I heard of this while living in London, and was actually considering paying a visit but I really didn’t have the courage to go. You’ve described a haunted place as a charming old place one must visit. Also, I wonder what it would be like visiting at night!

Spooky places do have a charm and in this case, the place really looks eerie. I sure would love to visit this one. Making a note of this one . How did you fare with the visit? did you have goose bumps when going through those halls?

Shane

Very interesting post, so much history! Each of these ghosts have a story. I can imagine this to be a highly sought after place to conduct filming at too, although I wouldn’t want to hang around after nightfall. It definitely has that creepy vibe!

Blair Villanueva

24th October 2016 at 1:11 pm

A castle standing in the middle of nowhere is quite interesting, and maybe the previous life of this castle is quite elegant, and full of rich stories. I find this place so interesting and somehow beautiful, perfect for a wedding photo shoot, with these old age remains.

I love ghost stories! I actually live in the most haunted town in Dorset and I recently took a ghost tour where I found out that there is actually a ghost in the building I live in. He’s a friendly ghost though, not like the Lady in Blue at the Berry Pomeroy castle. 🙂

This castle does look spooky. Oh yes, I love ghost stories and even more if they are about castles. I went to the oldest haunted house of UK but not this castle although it does remind me of my time in a haunted castle during Halloween last year. 🙂

This place looks really creepy! And the ghost stories really don’t help 😀 I am a bit of a scaredy cat, but I’d push myself into visiting Berry Pomeroy castle. I have a soft spot for old castle, and this one would be quite the experience.

I love visiting castles! Not sure I’ll say that if I encounter these ghosts you mentioned, especially the White Lady! Nevertheless, the pictures are very nice and make me want to visit the Berry Pomeroy castle!

Incredible place to see. England is full of mysterious places that keep adding to my list of sites to see sooner or later. This one would certainly be one of them. I love the atmosphere, the rough landscape and the stories of ghosts haunting the manor.

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Sophie Nadeau

Travel Writer & Culture Blogger

Bonjour, ciao, and welcome to my little corner of the internet! For the past five years, I've been writing about the weird and wonderful on this travel and culture blog, with a particular focus on history, hidden gems, and offbeat adventures in Europe and beyond.

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